SBIRT Education for Nurse Practitioner Students: Integration Into an MSN Program.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Public Health
• Behavioral Health

Background:

• Substance use disorders (SUDs) represent a significant public health challenge.
• Nurse practitioners (NPs) require expertise in screening, identifying, and intervening with patients at risk for SUDs.
• Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based model for equipping healthcare providers with essential behavioral health skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To integrate Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) content into Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)-NP curricula.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of SBIRT integration in preparing NPs for clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• SBIRT content was systematically mapped across 10 courses within an MSN-NP program.
• Diverse educational methods were employed, including readings, lectures, case studies, role-playing, tutorials, symposia, and test questions.
• The application of SBIRT during clinical preceptorships was monitored.

Main Results:

• A total of 139 students (online and on-campus) in MSN-NP programs received SBIRT training.
• Trained students demonstrated successful implementation of SBIRT in their supervised clinical practice.
• Data confirmed the efficacy of the integrated SBIRT curriculum.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a viable framework for incorporating SBIRT training into MSN-NP educational programs.
• This integration enhances NP preparedness to address substance use disorders in primary care settings.
• The findings support the widespread adoption of SBIRT in advanced nursing education.